


wherever i go, my heart belongs with you

by Redwatermelon



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kim Younghoon is Whipped, M/M, Magical Realism, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29563215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redwatermelon/pseuds/Redwatermelon
Summary: Younghoon likes Juyeon, his best friend, and is hiding his feelings as he's scared it would ruin their friendship, that bit is clear. What's unclear was how he ended up with a time traveling watch in his hand, that brought him to three different timelines which eventually led him to the place he wanted to be.
Relationships: Kim Younghoon/Lee Juyeon (The Boyz)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	wherever i go, my heart belongs with you

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally back with another fic! I was planning to post this right at Valentine's day, but school had been rough this past week, so I had to postpone it for a few days. This is the second fastest fics I've ever finished, with the Jucob one being the first with only three days and this one in about 4-5 days, and me being the overthinker that I am, honestly not sure if I would publish this fic as maybe it lacked a lot, but after a second thought, I don't think it's that bad and just went for it! I have a lot to say about my inspiration for this story, but I'll save it for the end notes haha. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :)

Oh, love, what a wonderful thing. 

What a wonderful, complicated thing. 

Younghoon could only smile when there's another group of girls trying to muffle their squeals but failing miserably when he walked by, saying their greetings with such stutter Younghoon felt it's more annoying than cute. He still said his greetings back, of course, and increasing his steps by a few millimeters to get to his lockers as quick as possible and to avoid more flock of girls halting his steps to said their greetings. 

Of course, for one of the most popular guys at school, that is certainly not possible. Especially if that said popular guy is best friends with another popular guy that is known as Mr. Perfect himself.

"Good morning Juyeon!" He didn't try to mask his groan when he managed to slip to his locker from the flock of girls crowding near, bringing chocolates to the guy that is currently caged in front of his own locker. 

"Good morning," he smiled his usual eye smile, and if Younghoon hadn't known him for more than six years, he would buy it. He chuckled quietly to himself, glancing at the other who's also looking at him pleadingly through the slits in his eyes. _Help me._

Troublesome. 

"Hey hey excuse me ladies," he slipped through the crowd, and took Juyeon's shoulders in his arm. "We have a business to attend to, so I'll have to borrow Juyeon for a bit!" He added a wink for an extra measure, enough for the girls to fangirl and allow him a few precious seconds to drag Juyeon out of there and run to their class. 

"Chicken," he said once they managed to get to their desks, their teacher still nowhere to be seen.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that," the younger pouted. "Sometimes I help you in that situation too, you know?"

"And you ask for coffee every time,"

"Touche," he huffed playfully. "Fine, here,"

"I said chicken, not chocolate," Younghoon raised a brow at the bar of chocolate he offered to him. "Plus, where did you get them from? Did you finally accept a confession?"

"Of course not," he laughed, opening Younghoon's palm and put the chocolate in his hand. "I bought that one, figured I need to get you something once in a while. Best friend things, you know?"

 _Best friends._

"Fine," he finally accepted, hiding it underneath his books so no one would see and ask for a bite. "Just this time,"

The smile was back, and this time, it's genuine. 

**********************************

It all started when Juyeon moved to his middle school in his second year. 

A young, smart student from Busan, who likes sports and good at math. Who loves cats rather than dogs, who prefers chicken burger rather than the famous beef burger in the stall near their school. Nearly the complete opposite from Younghoon.

The weird thing is? They clicked immediately. 

They would be in a group project together for most of their school years, would go home together until they have to part at the intersection near their dream university, would hang out with each other in whatever free time they had. Even when they lost all their baby fats, when their heights reached its peak with Younghoon winning by a few cms, and even when Younghoon lost some of his childish habits and Juyeon no longer as clingy, they were still glued by the hip. 

When did he started to have feelings for Juyeon? He wouldn't be able to tell you for sure. They spent so much time together that the first time he felt those flowers blooming in his chest by Juyeon's smallest actions was a bit blurry. But the time he did remember though, was when a young Juyeon nonchalantly wiped off a bit of ice cream that stuck to the corner of his lips before licking it with his own. 

He had never really believed all those descriptions in dramas and romance novels, how your heart would beat erratically as if it's gonna fall out of your chest, how you wouldn't be able to tear your eyes away from their face, how your stomach would feel as if you just swallowed a whole zoo instead of only a couple butterflies, but that was exactly how he felt back then. Warm, giddy.

Was it wrong for him to have feelings for his best friend? Most probably.

But even when he thinks like that, now in their first year of college, Younghoon in arts and Juyeon in communications, he's still helplessly falling for him, and couldn't find any rocky parts from the cliff to hold on. 

Rather than focusing on to the pictures and words their teacher was explaining in the projector (music class, their only shared class every Tuesday and Friday), he found himself focusing on the way Juyeon's eyes drooped, mouth opened in a big yawn which he successfully hid underneath his huge palm. His head kept falling down, dozing off and eventually hitting the table, and Younghoon barely managed to slip in their thick textbook underneath to shield his forehead. 

Clumsy. So clumsy, and Younghoon can never get enough. 

**********************************

"Strawberry milk? Bread? Kimbap? Check," he checked all the things he just bought from the convenience store, making sure the bread wasn't being squished by the two other heavy things in the plastic bag. His finger touched the very bottom, the familiar purple colored packaging making him sigh heavily in his mind. _Best friend things. Gotta give one back._

That was definitely not the reason for the tiny cat keyring in his pocket, though.

This is his routine most of his Fridays. He would finish all his classes, go to a convenience store to buy some necessities before going back to school to wait for a certain boy who is also the basketball team captain to finish his briefing with the coach so they can go home together, like they always do. 

But he's not complaining. Aside from the fact that he's (secretly) whipped, he liked going on a stroll on the familiar street. The street he would always walk with Juyeon to go back home when they were still in middle school. They didn't pass that street as often in their high school days except for the nostalgia, so Younghoon enjoyed the fact that he's able to enjoy the chilly air in the afternoon. 

As he passed his favorite records store that is currently closed, his eyes caught the sight of another store he never recognized. It looked like an antique shop, simple brown wood walls with the sign PRESENT'S FUTURE written on a piece of log and hanging onto the ledge of the roof. 

Curious, he decided to stop by. It's still about thirty minutes before Juyeon's meeting is over. He still had time. 

The chime of the bell was weird when he opened the door. It sounded like a chirp of a bird, like those in the Disney movies where birds would fly to a couple when they're trying to kiss. Unique choice of a bell, but he ignored it. 

"Welcome to Present's Future!" A brown curly-haired man welcomed him from behind the counter, clasping his hands together as he saw Younghoon's tall figure strut in. "Oh, young love! How sweet!"

Huh?

"Young love?" He asked in confusion. 

"Yep!" The man grinned. "My name's Hyunjae, what can I get for you today?"

"Oh, I wasn't planning to buy anything, I was just curious about this new shop," he said, walking around to look at the things on the display and on the small shelves. It honestly didn't look suspicious, just a couple of old-looking wallets, some pocket knives, snow globes, and many others like keyrings and some figurines. Typical of antique shops. 

"Nothing?" Hyunjae frowned. "If you came in here, you must have been searching for something,"

"Well, I didn't?" He shrugged, a bit ticked off by his persistence. "I'll come by some other time with my friend, I think he'll like this stuff, but now I should go-,"

Right as he said that, the door locked on its own. 

He looked at the door in horror, frantically trying the handle, but it just wouldn't work. He even tried banging on it, but no one passing by seemed to hear him. This is taking a scary turn, and he didn't like it one bit, 

"Hey, you!" He pointed at the shopkeeper with a shaking hand. "Open the door right now!"

"Relax college boy," he said, and with a flick of his finger, a pair of glasses flew to rest on his tall nose bridge. _Flew._

"C'mon, don't look like I just murdered someone in front of you," he huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"What the- what is this place? Who are you!? Let me out of here!" He was still trying the handle, panicking and honestly terrified of what will become of him. Hyunjae merely tsked and shook his head, and with a swipe of his finger, dragged Younghoon from the door and to the counter, standing in front of him. 

"Calm down, I ain't gonna kill you or anything," he assured him. "You won't be able to get out unless you bring something from here,"

"T-then I'll buy your keyring! Is that enough?"

"Not like that boy," Hyunjae chuckled. "I mean, what you truly need,"

"Need?" He pursed his lips, letting his eyes wander to some of the shelves. "I mean I do need some brown papers for my assignment-,"

"Again, not like that," he sighed. "Okay, listen to me, I'm going to explain this shortly, okay?" 

He nodded his head jerkily, wanting to just get out of that freaky place. 

"So," he said. "This store, not everyone can see this store. Only someone who has a deep need of something can see and even enter here. You can enter here, that means you must have been longing for something, something more than just a piece of bread or that brown paper of yours,"

"O..kay?" He furrowed his brows. "But I'm not longing for anything?"

"Really? Not even that friend of yours?" He wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully, and Younghoon immediately choked on his saliva. 

"Wha- how did you-,"

"It's written all over your aura," he dragged a full body mirror so Younghoon could see himself, and seemed like that mirror is not just an ordinary one, as he could see a pink mist surrounding him like a thick fog. "Pink means love, you're deeply in love with someone, and the intensity of the color indicates how long. Judging from how it's starting to turn magenta, you've been hiding your feelings for a bit too long,"

"S-stop reading my feelings!"

"I'm not, you're telling it to me yourself," he shrugged, making the mirror disappear. "So, you're in love with someone, yes or no?"

"..you already know the answer,"

"It needs to come out from your own mouth to be counted as a token to get out of here,"

"Ughh yes yes! Fine! I'm in love with my best friend, okay?" He groaned, his whole face turning pink at hearing his own admission out loud. "So what, you're gonna offer me a love potion or something? Because I would not make my own best friend drink that shit,"

"Oh no, of course not," he smiled, satisfied at his honesty. "Tell me what you want to do now. Ooh, are you gonna confess? I can see a bar of chocolate in your-,"

"Stop peeping!" He said, hiding the plastic bag behind his back as if he can block the bag from Hyunjae's super vision or something. "No, he just gave me chocolate earlier, best friend things, so I'm gonna give one back,"

"Why not confess?"

"Obviously not," he rolled his eyes. "What would happen if he reject me? I'm not gonna risk my six years old friendship going down the hill because of my stupid confession,"

"Hmm," Hyunjae squinted his eyes, looking at him judgingly before coming to a conclusion. "So, if you know your friend's feelings are mutual, you would confess?"

"Well, probably yeah, but as I said, I'm not gonna make him drink-,"

"Chill, we don't even own potions here," he waved him off with a laugh, searching through the store with a sweep of his eyes. "Based on your story, you sound like you wanna be loved, so.. I think this will be the perfect fit for you,"

A second later, a silver rusty watch was already on the counter. 

"A watch?" He asked, looking at the rusty but admittedly beautiful watch. "What, is it gonna make me time travel or something?"

"You bet!"

"Seriously!?"

"Mhm," he nodded. "This is not just some plain old time travel watch you can use as you please. Hold this watch in your hand and press the start button while you're in front of the one person you want, and you'll be able to go to their past,"

"Oh, sounds nice," he's not admitting it out loud, but he really wanted to see Juyeon's childhood before they met. He's pretty sure Hyunjae read his mind anyways, though, as he tutted, shaking his head. 

"Not that kind of past," he said. "Past lives,"

"What? What past lives?"

"Oh you know, all those reincarnation things," he made a vague gesture in the air with his hand. "Before we are who we are now, our souls must have lived a different life in the past, maybe as a homeless man, an animal, or even a plant. That's what you can see with this watch,"

"..and how is that supposed to help me in my love life?"

"Well you said you wanna be loved?" He shrugged. "You can go to their past lives, and try to get their heart! Even if you're not able to love them in the present, who knows maybe you can try it in the past," 

_Oh._

"That sounds really wrong," he grimaced. 

"Trust me, it'll work," he assured him. "That is not the main reason for this watch, you'll see once you use it,"

To say he was hesitant to take it was an understatement. He just held a staring session with the watch for close to thirty seconds, enough for Hyunjae to groan impatiently and thrust a paper along with the watch to his chest. 

"Your silence is truly killing me. Look, just sign this contract paper, take that watch and go, don't be such a coward,"

"Who are you calling coward!? Have you never been in love before?" He grumbled, signing the paper without bothering to read it over. "There, I signed it, can I leave now?"

"Wait! Before you leave, the button on the right is to start, and the twist on the left is to go to another past life. Remember, you can only use this three times,"

"Okay, but wait, where's the stop button?"

"None!" He grinned as if he just won a race against Usain Bolt. "Now you may go, shoo shoo! Make your love life come true," he pushed Younghoon to the door that's now open with invisible force, but Younghoon who's now holding the watch in his hand, was struggling to stay for a few more seconds despite his earlier frantic attempts to get out. 

"Hey wait! Then how am I supposed to come back to the future? Hey!"

Instead of providing answers, the door slammed close in front of his face, leaving him staring in disbelief at what just happened. 

He wanted to believe it was all a dream the whole way back to the school, but the weight of the watch was still there on his palm, providing a thrum of something he couldn't decipher. Maybe it's magic, maybe it's his own nervousness, who knows. But all he knows is that he's dreading it.

When he reached the hallways and to the lockers, he finally came to a decision.

"I'm not gonna use it," he decided, looking at the watch in his hand. "Yup, I'm not gonna use it. Traveling to the past life? Pshh, sounds like a joke. Why would I believe him anyway? Shady looking store-,"

"Hyung? Who are you talking to?" The familiar voice in front of him made him stop dead in his tracks. There, he found Juyeon already waiting for him near the lockers like usual, putting his phone away immediately as he saw the elder.

"Oh, just myself," he said, and he's not lying. Maybe he will sound crazy saying that, but he doesn't care, not one bit.

"Yourself? When I'm right here?" He gave him a lopsided grin, and it looked so adorable Younghoon wanted to smile.

"We talk to each other everyday anyway," was his answer, giving the plastic bag to the younger. "Here, strawberry milk and kimbap. Surely you haven't had lunch? You were busy with class since twelve,"

"Oh, thank you! You know me so well," he accepted the things offered to him giddily. "Let's share after this- oh, new watch?"

_Shit._

"No, just- found it lying on the street," wow, what a classy way to lie, Kim Younghoon.

"Really? It looks too nice to just be abandoned. Can I see?"

"No," he said, protectively holding it in his palm. "No, you can't, not this time,"

"Oh whyy? Come on, I just wanna see," he whined, trying to reach for the watch.

"No means no, Juyeon-ah. C'mon let's just go home," he stretched his arm backwards, and despite Juyeon's longer limbs, he was struggling to reach it.

"Not before you show it to me, what are you hiding? You're usually not like this,"

"I'm not hiding- hey!"

"Gotcha!" He took Younghoon's closed palm in his bigger ones, and as he tried to wrench the elder's fingers away with Younghoon holding onto it harder, something clicked.

"Fuck," he made eye contact with the younger for a brief second, and the next he was already on the floor, the last thing he saw before he went under was Juyeon's panicked face tapping his chin in an attempt to make him stay awake.

************************************

_It's hot._

The air around him felt warm. Too warm. He furrowed his brows, cracking his eyes open with a groan and was met with a too bright light. 

The first thing he noticed was obviously, that he's not in his school grounds anymore. 

He's sitting on a toilet seat in some strange looking bathroom, and he's holding a magazine that had a group on the cover he had never heard about. The light in the closed cubicle was right above his head, and the toilet smelled really closely like piss. 

"Ew!" He jumped from the seat, instinctively dusting off his pants from the possible dirt and who knows what other things stuck to his black jeans. Still a bit taken aback, he exited the stall with a pretty loud bang, startling the other guys that were standing waiting for their turn. 

"Uhm-," he stood there awkwardly, making eye contact with every possible man inside that restroom before asking. "Can someone tell me today's date?"

"Today? Today's September 18," a teenager said, zipping up his fly after finishing his business. 

"What year?"

"1982," 

_Well shit._

After saying his thanks and apologies, he promptly exited the bathroom with a few other men. Oh my god, he actually time travelled. All because of a certain boy who made him accidentally click on the damn button. 

"Ugh, Lee Juyeon, you stupid," he groaned, earning an awkward cough from the group of girls from beside him. 

"Excuse me?" They demanded, hands on their hips. "Are you a fake fan or something? Because you're bringing his group's magazine yet you're insulting him like that? If so, I'll report you to the security,"

He was trying so hard not to let his eyes widen. He checked the magazine's cover once again, and in closer look, there he was, the Lee Juyeon he was searching for, standing at the very corner. He looked a bit different than the Juyeon he knows, but the name printed underneath the bass he was holding was enough to make him sure. _So he was in a band._

"Oh, that's not what I mean- um-," he scrambled to search for an answer, and using his knowledge of how obsessive some fans can be, he answered with a sickly sweet smile. "He's stupid because he makes me fall all over again even when I already have a partner. How can someone be so talented and handsome?"

Their angry faces quickly turned into one of an understanding, gushing about their agreement, about how he is so cool playing his bass and about some other members in the group he obviously didn't recognize. And then there's security coming towards them, saying that the fansigning would start and they should enter the venue immediately, and of course, Younghoon followed. 

Remembering the 1982, the place wasn't too big, but was enough for a lot of people to line up in front of a long table where five people was sitting, signing magazines and some other things and interacting with the others. And on the first end of the table, there he was, Lee Juyeon with black locks and hair styled up to reveal his forehead, signing the magazine given to him by some crying fangirl. He snorted, because maybe this is where Juyeon's popularity came from. He might actually be born to be other people's idol. The Mr. Perfect Younghoon knows so well. 

It took a long minute for the line to finally move by one person, and another and another, and Younghoon was about to yawn, but then he was finally right in front of him, and his sleepiness quickly went away. 

"Hi," he greeted with a smile, offering his hand which Younghoon quickly accepted. "Thank you for buying our magazine,"

"Oh no, I should be the one to thank you," Younghoon said, giving him the magazine for him to sign. 

"You've ben a fan of us for a long time?" He asked, using his marker to sign right underneath his name. 

"No, not really, but enough time for me to fall in love with you," maybe because he knows this is in the past, and this is not really the Juyeon he knows since middle school, he could blurt out such things, but really, he's not lying. Even if when he come back to the present and Juyeon won't remember, at least he already let out some of his feelings to his past form. 

"Oh, you're flattering me," he laughed, probably already so used to receiving such words from his fans. The same eye smile Younghoon loves so much made its appearance, and to that, he couldn't help but to return the smile back. "I guess I shouldn't be receiving so many confessions anymore though, as I'm getting married in a few months. I mean, I guess it is time for a thirty year old man like me to get married anyway. You've heard the news, right?"

 _Oh._

"O-oh, yeah, of course! It made headlines on the internet!" He blurted out before realizing what he said. 

"Internet?" Juyeon tilted his head. God, the habit still stuck to the present Juyeon. "What is that? Is it a new newspaper branch?"

"Oh- uh, oh! T-the time is up, I gotta move- thank you once again!" He bowed quickly, moving on to the next member that he didn't know the name of, feeling Juyeon's confused eyes on his. Oh, how much he wanted to just skip every member and go to the back of his lines, but that is surely not possible if he still wanted to keep his head intact from all the fans there. 

As he exited the venue, he quickly ran back to the bathroom and to the same stall. He sat back onto the toilet seat, frantically searching for a pocket in his pants and sighing in relief when he found the watch, its chain coiling around his fingers. 

He quickly took it out, fumbling with it with shaky hands. He can't believe that one meeting affected him so much, but now all he wanted to do was get out of there. 

"God, how does this thing work again? Uh- this button to- oh, twist this first, and then press-," as he pressed it, he fell unconscious once again, magazine falling from his grasp as he escaped from the time. 

****************************

When he woke up again, he's laying on a vast yellow field, with wheat growing on one side and corns on the other. The sky was already turning orange, with some ducks flying with a V formation to wherever their destination was. 

How beautiful.

"Hey!" An almost childish voice came up to him, and he sat up to see a figure running up to him with a shovel on his shoulder and a hay hat on top of his head. _Juyeon._

"Yeah?" He groaned as he sat up, head a bit dizzy from travelling in time. 

"What are you doing in my father's field?" He frowned, his cute little nose scrunched up. "Are you a thief? I'll tell my father!"

"Wha- hey hey, I'm not a thief! I'm just tired, I wanted to rest," he said, flailing his hands when the boy opened his mouth to shout. "Seriously, see? I have no weapons or sacks with me, what am I gonna steal here anyway?"

"Our corns? Or maybe our pigs?" He raised a brow. "But well, not that I'm looking at you, you don't seem to be from here. Where are you from?"

"Far away," he smiled, laying back down. "I wanted to meet someone, but now that I met him, I'm satisfied," 

"Huh," he said, sitting beside him and put his shovel down. "Fine, you can rest for a bit here,"

"Thanks," he chuckled, arms above his head. "How old are you, Juyeon-ah?"

"I'm 17- hey wait, how do you know my name?" He asked suspiciously. "I knew it! You're a bad guy!"

"I told you I'm not! Your neighbor told me that this field belong to a man with a son named Juyeon. I suppose that's you," he lied, and for a second he was scared Juyeon would run back to his house to call for his father, but then he nodded, understanding washing over his features. 

"The house over there? Huh, she does like to talk to strangers, I told her it's dangerous but she wouldn't listen," he huffed, and Younghoon wanted to laugh at how easily he bought his lie. Still gullible as usual. 

The two just sat there for a while, Juyeon picking up some wild grass and Younghoon still staring at the ducks that's starting to look like dots with wings. The athmosphere was quiet, calm, and even when technically they don't know each other, both felt at ease. 

"Do you know why ducks fly in that formation?" He asked absent-mindedly. "I've always wondered,"

"Because they need each other's help in order to reach their destination," Juyeon answered, now also looking at the sky. "They need to make sure the entire flock's in the right direction, and that no one is left behind. At least, that's what my mother said," 

"Interesting," Younghoon hummed. "Now I want to try to be a duck for once. Free, no restrictions, just me and the flock and the wind," 

"Me too," Juyeon laughed, and despite the difference in his voice, his laughter is still the most beautiful thing Younghoon has ever heard. "I think it'll be fun to be able to fly," 

"You can do that," Younghoon said, turning his head to look at the younger who's now looking at him confused. 

"How?"

"With an airplane?" He said, before realizing what he said and asked. "Wait, what year is this?"

"How can you not know what year this is?" Juyeon laughed incredulously. "It's 1902, March. Also, what's an airplane?"

"Oh, never mind then," he retracted his words immediately, remembering pieces from his history lessons that said airplanes were invented at the end of 1903. "Why do you want to fly?"

"Like you, I want to be free," he said, a sigh leaving his lips. "I've always been here, going to school in the morning and helping my father here until the sun goes down. Of course, I love what I do, but I think it'll be fun to just go away once in a while, not think about routine,"

"Mm yeah," Younghoon sat back up, cross-legged. "Where do you want to go?"

"Everywhere! I want to travel the whole world!" he said enthusiastically, stretching his arms wide. "I want to see the ocean, and fly over the clouds. Maybe land on some other country, live there for a bit before flying again,"

"What if there's someone who likes you? Who wants to get married? Don't you want to settle down one day?"

"I doubt so," he laughed. "Who would like a scrawny boy like me? I can't even count properly,"

"Me," Younghoon said, inching his hand closer and held the boy's hand in his. "I like you,"

The warmth that travelled to the small palm made him smile, and he looked up just to find his face almost as orange as the sky above. 

"What if I ask you to marry me?" He asked. "Will you want to settle down with me?" 

"I- I mean, I don't know..," he answered honestly, fidgeting his legs, but he made no move to pull his hand away. "I don't think so, sorry..,"

"Why not?"

"I don't think I'm made for such a life," Juyeon said, leaning back on his other hand. "To be restricted by marriage, to have someone to wait for me to come back, I don't think I'm made for that. I want to be free, to go where I want to go and do what I want to do, without thinking about the consequences I might bring to my loved ones,"

"Hmm I see," Younghoon smiled, squeezing his hand once before letting go. "You do seem like someone who would do such a thing," 

"Are you- are you mad?" He asked tentatively, a small pout on his lips that he always had whenever he's upset. 

"No," he reached a hand to brush a strand of hair from his cheek. His hair was long and brown, and so was his skin, tan from being kissed by the sun. Despite his different appearance from Juyeon in plaid shirts or in his basketball jersey, Younghoon felt his heart beating faster anyways. "But I wasn't joking you know,"

"Joking about what?"

"That I like you," 

His face flushed a deep shade of red, and Younghoon so desperately want to see the same expression on the present Juyeon and kiss him breathless. 

Instead, he just chuckled, brushing his thumb on his lower lip and standing up, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. So different from the smoke he's so used to smelling on his way back home. Different from the spicy tteokbokki smell near his house. Different from Juyeon's cologne that wafted through his nose as they walked shoulder to shoulder, fingers brushing.

His throat tightened, stomach churning with how wrong all of this is. This is not where he belongs. This is not what he wanted. He is not Juyeon. 

"I have to go now," he said. "You should go back, the sky's turning dark,"

"Ah- already?" He stood up with his shovel, his head level with Younghoon's shoulders. "Will you come back?"

"I'm afraid not," Younghoon sighed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "I have to go back to where I'm from, which is so far away from here. But you'll be fine, right?" 

"Yeah," 

"Good," he smiled. "Mark my words. At the end of next year, the news outlet would be so busy sharing the news of the first men to invent a flying machine. After that, you'll be able to fly through the sky just like you wanted. The machine's name would be an airplane,"

"What!? How do you know?"

"It's a secret," he chuckled. "I can trust you to not say a word to anyone, right? Or else, that would probably not happen," 

"Okay," Juyeon nodded eagerly, taking something out of his pocket. A small red heart made out of glass. "Here, I found it near the school earlier. I think it's better if you keep it. So you can always remember me,"

"Even when I don't keep anything from you, I would never forget you," he took his hand along with the heart, kissing his knuckles lightly and keeping it between his fingers. "Thank you, now I must go. Live happily, and pass your message to me through the clouds once you manage to fly," 

"I will," he promised, letting his hand drop to the side. "What's your name?"

Younghoon just chuckled, index finger in front of his lips. 

"It's a secret,"

He went away with the last wave to the 1902 Juyeon, who suddenly looked so small and lonely standing in the wide wheat fields. The wind blew his straw hat away, exposing his unruly brown locks dancing over his head, but he didn't seem to care, just waving to Younghoon until they're both just a small dot in the distance. 

He hid behind a barn with a sigh, leaning against the wooden walls. Maybe this is what Hyunjae meant. Time travelling wasn't meant for Younghoon to find love somewhere else. It's to make him realize how deep his feelings are for Juyeon, how he could never be with someone else, not even the Lee Juyeon in the past lives. Now he's definitely feeling it, the clench in his heart, the feeling of longing for something, for someone, for Juyeon. 

"I gotta go back," he rummaged through his pockets, putting the red heart in and taking the watch out. "My god, how do I even go back? I can't even stop- why is there no manual for this!?"

Speaking of manuals, he remembered about the contract he signed without even reading it. That probably had the instructions on how to start and stop all this madness, and he groaned loudly, cussing and bumping his head to the wall. 

"Aish, whatever!" He twisted the gear in whatever direction and pressed the button without any care in the world, and then he's gone again, using his last chance to another world he doesn't even know. 

*********************************

When he woke up this time, he was hidden behind a bush next to a sturdy stone wall. 

He was starting to have a major headache. Maybe this was what travelling through time felt like, taking a toll on your body. Before he could even sit up and comprehend the situation, there was someone else going behind the bush with him, and without even looking, he knows who it is. 

"Ah!" The said man almost screamed seeing a body lying on the ground, but quickly clamped his mouth with his hand. "Who are you?"

"Just a tired passerby," he groaned, sitting up and leaning back to the wall. "I think I fainted for a bit. What are you doing here?"

"Escaping," he said, sitting down beside him. "My father is telling me to marry some prince from the other kingdom. I don't want to, so I ran,"

_Kingdom. Great._

"Why don't you want to?" He asked. "Not interested?"

"Well, there's that, but also, my father just wants me to marry so I can become the next king," he rolled his eyes. 

"Oh, you're a prince!" Younghoon gasped. "Is it okay for you to speak to some random passerby like me?"

"See? Just because I'm a prince people wouldn't want to talk to me. I'm just another person, I'm not some sort of God," he sighed. 

"That's not true," Younghoon said. "I want talk to you,"

"Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I am talking to you right now, ain't I?"

"I guess," he smiled. "Oh, I wish I can just not marry him. This is all ridiculous,"

"Aren't there any other way?" Younghoon asked. "Can't you choose who you wanna marry?"

"I mean, my father did tell me to search for someone, but I haven't found one yet. I guess he got tired of waiting, so he decided to just pair me off with someone I barely know," 

"Then you should search for someone!" He said, patting him on the back. "You're handsome Juyeon, I'm sure there will be someone that would be interested in you,"

"Juyeon? How do you know my name?"

"Eh? You are the prince, isn't it normal for me to know your name?" He tried to excuse himself, but that just made Juyeon frown deeper, now standing up and tugging his arm with startling strength. His gentle behavior was gone with a blink of an eye, and before he could realize it, Juyeon's hand was on his collar, pinning him to the wall. 

"My name has always been undisclosed even within the castle," 

_Oh shit._

"Who do you work for!?" He growled, pulling Younghoon even further up to the wall. 

"N-no, I swear I don't work for anyone!" He choked out, trying to pry his hand away, but his grip was more than just solid. 

"Do you know my kingdom is still in post-war mode? I wonder if I bring a rat like you to the king, what would he do to an intruder like you?" He laughed mockingly, pressing a tad bit harder to watch him gag and turn even paler. 

"P-please don't-," he gasped, legs kicking in the air helplessly. "I-I'm- really not-,"

"Hmm," Juyeon hummed in thought, an evil smirk slowly making its way to his face, handsome but looking so mean, unlike the Juyeon he knows. And then suddenly, he dropped him to the ground, letting him cough and try to collect his breath. 

"Okay," he said, crouching down and took his jaw in his grip harshly. "Then marry me so I can be free," 

"W-what the fuck-,"

"Oh, so you prefer to be tortured by my father?" He pulled at his hair, making him hiss in pain. When he didn't answer, Juyeon just spat on the ground, pulling him up still by the hair and snarled. "Okay then. Guards!"

There's footsteps coming towards their direction immediately, guards from every corner all ready to protect the kingdom. Their weapons were immediately raised as they saw a stranger in the prince's grip, but Juyeon merely waved them off. 

"He's unarmed," he said. "Take him to the prison,"

"Wh- no! No, I'm not-,"

"Shut up!" One of the guards' boot made contact with his gut, and then he felt himself being dragged by two armored guards. He quickly broke free, taking his watch out and tried to do something so he can escape despite knowing he already used all three of his chances, but another kick and a punch was delivered to his already weak body, making him drop the watch to the ground near Juyeon's boot clad feet. 

"Huh, so you're a thief?" Juyeon tsked in disapproval, kicking the watch lightly. "This is not a common watch for a villager,"

"T-that's from my mom, stop!" He lied, but Juyeon merely dismissed his plea with a mean laugh.

"Well let me show you what would happen to a rat like you," and then he stepped on the silver watch, and Younghoon could only watch in horror as the glass and the clock hand went into a million pieces underneath the thick sole. "Now take him- hey hey, what's wrong with him!?"

Right as the watch was broken, Younghoon's body felt light, lighter than cotton that's floating in the air. He started feeling even dizzier, slumping against the guards' tightening holds on his arms that barely felt like anything at this point. His eyes slowly fluttered close, swaying on his feet weakly before losing his footing completely. 

What did Hyunjae say about the watch being broken again? Did he even say anything about it? Or was it written in the contract he didn't bother to read? Will he die like this? With those thoughts running in his head, he finally went into a deep sleep, with the sight of the prince's slightly concerned face gripping his jaw. 

***********************************

He felt dizzy, so dizzy it felt like his head's gonna burst. There's so many things running in his head right now, from the three encounters he had, the image of the broken watch, and the three Juyeons all floating in his brain, but mainly it's filled with his desperation of wanting to go back home. 

He wanted to go back home, wanted to go back to his boring classes even when he barely understood anything in his history class, wanted to go back to his lockers where he would proceed to walk back home with Juyeon. 

Juyeon. God, he missed him so bad. He missed the way the actual Juyeon would smile at him, the way he would start a doodle fight between them whenever he's bored in class, the way he would call his name. No matter if it's as his best friend or something more, he missed Juyeon more than anything. 

_Warm._ He thought, slowly coming back to his consciousness. When he did finally open his eyes, there was a familiar face staring right at him with concern, familiar to the sight he saw before he went under. 

Out of instinct, he sat up with bleary eyes, hands in front of his body to shield himself, but then there's big warm hands on his shoulders, and when he saw the familiar red and blue bracelet on his wrists, he immediately calmed down, looking up to Juyeon peering down at him with wide eyes. 

"Hyung!" He said, a hand on his forehead and his neck, checking his temperature. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" He asked, still a bit out of it. "What happened to me?"

"You _fainted!_ " He almost shrieked, running a hand through Younghoon's hair. "Oh my- you should've said you were feeling unwell! Do you know how scared I was when you just fainted right in front of me like that?"

Younghoon could barely comprehend his words. He put both his hands on the younger's cheeks, squishing and pinching, wanting to make sure this is real and not just a mere dream. 

"Hey-,"

"What year is it?"

"Huh?" Juyeon frowned. "14th of February, 2021," and immediately all fight bled out of his body, his tense muscles melting into nothing. He sighed in relief, slumping back against the infirmary's thin pillows. 

"Thank _god_ ," 

"Thank god? For what? I should be the one saying that! Thank god you're awake, I wouldn't know what to do if you're not awake, I almost brought you to the hospital!" Juyeon groaned. "Wait here, I'll bring you some tea,"

"Oh wait, do you- where did you put my watch?"

"Watch? What watch?" His question made Younghoon freeze, looking at him incredulously. 

"The silver watch? You were trying to take a look at it earlier before I fainted?" His question came out uncertain, and Juyeon had a really confused expression on his face. 

"Hyung, are you that sick? Were you hallucinating? You were just handing me the plastic bag from the convenience store before you suddenly fainted. And since when do you bring a watch to school? Now stay here, I'll pour you some tea,"

Younghoon's eyes were wide as a saucer, putting a hand on his own forehead. Was he actually sick? Could all of that just be a long dream? 

Immediately, he patted his own body, searching from pockets to pockets, and true to Juyeon's words, there was no watch to be found. 

He laughed quietly to himself, running a hand through his hair. So all of that was really just a dream? Was he seriously that whipped for the younger he would have such a dream?

But as he reached to his left pocket, his heart dropped. 

Inside, there was the cat keyring he bought along with the chocolate earlier in the convenience store, but that's not all. There was also a small red heart made out of glass, still shiny with a bit of crooks here and there, probably from when he was struggling from the guards. _So all of it was real?_

"Here," the sound of the sliding door snapped him from his reverie. Juyeon went back inside the infirmary, bringing a glass of tea that would probably taste like dish water from the teacher's room. "Drink up- woah! What's going on?" 

Younghoon quickly ran to him and hugged him close, making him spill some of the tea to the floor. Some of it splashed to Younghoon's exposed ankle, but he couldn't care less, just kept hugging the younger until he relented and put the glass down, hugging him back. 

"Hyung? What's the matter?" Oh my god, Younghoon missed his voice so much. That smooth deep voice now was right beside his ear, his breath warm on his neck. There's hands on his hair and on his back, drawing shapeless patterns to calm him down. 

He has been waiting for this, has been longing to feel Juyeon's body warmth mixing with his own, more than just their bumping shoulders on their walks or their five seconds hug they would have in some special occasions. He wanted the younger to hold him, wanted to hold the younger in his arms too. He can't pretend to just go back into best friends, not after all of this. 

"Juyeon-ah," he pulled back, cupping his face in his hands. Those doe eyes were still wide, looking at him like a really curious cat, and the dilating of his pupils with Younghoon's reflection in it was enough for him to lean forward and captured those lips with his own. 

Juyeon flinched and froze for a second, but to his surprise, he didn't pull away, nor did he try to push Younghoon away. Instead, the hug tightened, the younger kissing him back and holding him close to his broad figure. 

Their lips moved like a routine. Steady, rhythmic, comforting. There was no impatience, no one trying to push too far, just the both of them enjoying their moment accompanied by the smell of rubbing alcohol wafting underneath their noses. 

When they pulled away, it was because of the lack of oxygen supply, but their holds on each other hasn't loosened, both panting with eyes trained to each other and foreheads meeting in the middle. 

"Hyung-,"

"I like you, Juyeon-ah," he confessed. "I really really like you,"

For once, Juyeon was quiet, but then there's warmth transferring to his forehead, and he didn't really have to look to know that Juyeon was blushing. 

"I- I mean- I like you too, hyung,"

"No, I mean like, romantically,"

"I know," Juyeon finally smiled, pulling back a little bit and held the elder's hands in his. "I like you too," 

They stared at each other for a minute, the clock ticking as their background music, before they giggled like little kids, finding all of this somewhat funny. Best friends for six years, quite easily confessing their feelings as if it's something natural to do and sharing another kiss underneath the bright lightbulb. 

"Let's go home now," the younger said, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. "Or do you wanna eat some chicken first?"

"Ooh, are you asking me on a date?" Younghoon wiggled his eyebrows playfully. Juyeon simply laughed, slinging both his bags and Younghoon's on his shoulder. 

"So what if I am?" He reached out a hand towards him, beckoning him to come closer. "C'mon, it is valentine's day after all. My treat," 

All he was feeling was warmth. In his chest, in his stomach, and in every single one of his cells. He took his big hand in his with a probably whipped smile on his face, but he's not gonna bother to hide it now, not when Juyeon's finally with him. 

Inside his pocket, the red heart glowed. 

Meanwhile, a brown curly haired man was currently sitting on his chair, watching a contract paper slowly burning while floating in the air. He put his hand right below it, and soon enough, a pink marble rolled onto his palm, and the same silver watch suddenly appearing on the counter. He hummed, squinting his eyes to check the small glass ball before storing it in one of the jars along with other colorful marbles, each of them a token for every successful contracts. 

"I really thought his marble would come out grey," he chuckled, inspecting the watch, still in one piece as if it hadn't been stepped on. "Just signing it without bothering to read it properly, how careless,"

The familiar chime rang once again, the distinct sound of a bell sounding like birds chirping. He quickly pocketed the said watch, his usual smile on his face as he straightened himself behind the counter. 

"Welcome to Present's Future! What can I get for you today?"

**Author's Note:**

> You made it till the end! I had been planning to make a Bbangju fic for so long, and it's finally here! Honestly, I had one or two other stories planned, but suddenly I got the inspiration to write this story, so here I am!
> 
> This story is loosely inspired by the stages the did in rtk, more specifically danger, shangri-la and checkmate. I saw a lot of theories about Younghoon being a time traveler or someone that can turn back time as he was holding a watch at the start of danger and at their checkmate stage which was their last stage for rtk. Suddenly that thought just came to mind, and I decided to write a story about time traveler Younghoon :)
> 
> Now, if you pay close attention, I did slip in some random details throughout the story, whether it's from the stages or just from a random fact I read somewhere. Firstly the watch, was obviously taken from the silver watch Younghoon was using for the stages. I know Juyeon wanted to be a pilot, and at first, this was not how it's meant to be, but I guess the end result made a lot more sense rather than the first one I had in mind haha. And the red glass heart referred to the one they kept throwing around in their GDA stage (the one Younghoon was holding at the end).
> 
> For the prince Juyeon, at first I wanted to make him a king, as he was wearing a crown for their reveal catching fire stage, but I just got reminded of that one photo with him in a white shirt, long black coat and white lace plus a long red ribbon around his neck. I found that photo in twt and honestly up until now I'm still not sure what it's for haha but I just thought it's a good look! I also decided to make him prince so Younghoon wouldn't have to speak too formally like if he was made king, which would obviously be much older. 
> 
> This is getting so long already, so I just want to end this by saying thank you so much to all of you who're reading this story and/or my other stories! The hits, the kudos, the comments, the bookmarks, all of those meant a lot to me. It truly makes my day whenever I check my email and there's a notification from ao3 popping up, so thank you so so so much!
> 
> Last but not least, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! :)


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